The best replacement for causation is correlation.

The best alternatives to causation are rated as following:
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★★★  association
★★  causality
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★  prediction
★  selection
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Speaking about causation, one probably shouldn't forget about correlation.

Other search terms related to causation and their ratings are:
★★★★★ correlation
★ hume
★ association
★ negligence
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combination theory of accident causation
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